Turkey season will open April 19, and hunters that discovered turkey hunting in 2020 will probably continue hunting this year.
Their prospects will be similar to last year's in terms of the number of adult gobblers available. Gobbler abundance varies not only by region, of course, but by regions within regions. One observer in North Arkansas has consistently reported outstanding numbers of adult gobblers at a public area that he frequents, as well as on nearby private land. Another observer within about 20 miles of there reports seeing few turkeys.
In 2020, hunters killed 8,620 turkeys in Arkansas, of which 8,569 were gobblers. That's a 5% increase over 2019, when hunters killed 8,217 turkeys, which was a 4% increase over the spring 2018 season tally of 7,884 turkeys. It is not known if the 2020 increase was the result of a bigger number of adult gobblers or a larger number of hunters pursuing them in the free time that became available during the coronavirus pandemic.
We do know that Arkansas turkey hunters work hard for their gobblers. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's "2019 Annual Turkey Harvest Report" compiled by Jeremy Wood, the commission's turkey program coordinator, 405 individuals provided details on 2,284 hunts in 2019. That equates to 5.6 hunts per individual, and they dedicated a total of 10,807 hours afield. Survey respondents and their hunting partners reported killing 282 turkeys for a success rate of about 12%. Their aggregate success rate was 2.6 birds per 100 hours of hunting.
Observers also recorded the number of gobblers seen and gobbles heard in the state's four primary eco-regions. The Delta led both categories with about 3.75 gobblers seen per 10 hours of observation and about 42 gobbles heard. The Ozarks were next with about 3.5 gobblers seen per 10 hours and about 41 gobbles heard per hour. Observers in the Gulf Coastal Plain noted seeing about 3.1 gobblers per 10 hours and hearing about 30 gobbles per 10 hours. In the Ouachita Mountain region it was about 2.4 gobblers per 10 hours and about 23 gobbles heard per 10 hours.
In 2020, hunters checked 200 or more turkeys in eight counties. Union County led the state with 265 turkeys, followed by Stone County (262), Fulton County (254), Sharp County (252), Izard County (249), Montgomery County (245), Cleburne County (236) and Newton County (203). Ashley County (199), missed the 200 Club by one bird. No county reached 300 gobblers.
Hunters killed the most gobblers (1,505) on April 13, a Monday and the opening day of the 2020 season. They killed 825 on April 14 and 800 on April 15. Those three days accounted for 36 % of the season total. Numbers dropped significantly in a descending graph line except for one spike of 386 gobblers on April 26.
Better prospects might await hunters in the spring 2022 season, when they begin seeing the results of good reproduction in spring 2020. In his "2020 Brood Survey," Wood wrote that the 2020 survey recorded the highest reproductive indices since 2012 and 2013. He said this continues a slow but improving trend in recent years.
Of course, statistics such as "hens with poults" have no bearing on this year's hunting because the poults hatched in 2020 will be jakes in April. Adult hunters in Arkansas are allowed to kill only adult gobblers. Youth hunters may kill no more than one jake. Therefore, the 2020 Brood Survey gives us a roadmap to the 2022 season.
The statewide poult per hen index (PPH) increased from 1.13 PPH in 2019 to 1.53 PPH in 2020. Observations of hens with poults also increased in 2020, with 34% of hens reported with poults, up from 25% in 2019. The number of poults per brood (PPB) observed during the survey remained high this year as well at 4.34 PPB. This suggests within brood survival was strong and relatively stable compared to estimates in 2019.
On the other hand, statewide numbers are short of the 1.8-2.0 PPH standard that biologists believe is necessary to maintain or slightly grow turkey numbers, Wood wrote.
"At the regional level though, reproductive estimates in the Gulf Coastal Plain were estimated to exceed these figures, indicating strong reproduction in the southern portions of the state," Wood wrote. "Reproductive indices in the remainder of the state weren't quite as high as hoped for, (but) they were substantially higher than in recent years and continue to increase following very poor years in 2017 and 2018."
In the Gulf Coastal Plain, observers recorded seeing 55 gobblers and 104 hens with poults. Observers also saw 108 hens without poults. They saw a total of 104 broods and a total of 478 poults. The number of poults per hen was 2.15.
In the Ozarks, observers saw 102 gobblers and 117 poults with hens, as well as 263 hens without poults. Observers recorded 117 broods and 465 poults. The number of poults per hen was 1.22.
It is a universal truth that if you have an opportunity to work one or more gobblers, your perception of Arkansas turkey hunting will be favorable. If you kill a gobbler, your perception of Arkansas turkey hunting will be excellent. About 8,000 hunters will end the 2021 season with a favorable or excellent perception. For the rest of us, a better perception might be a year away.
Turkey reproduction numbers
GOBBLERS HENS W/POULTS HENS W/O POULTS POULTS BROODS POULTS/HEN GOBBLERS/HENS
Ozark 102 117 263 465 117 1.22 0.27
Ouachitas 87 71 167 340 82 1.43 0.37
Gulf Coastal Plain 55 104 118 478 104 2.15 0.25
Delta 73 28 75 160 28 1.55 0.71
Statewide 317 320 623 1,443 331 1.53 0.34
SOURCE Arkansas Game and Fish Commission